Phenix approach to environmental issues is to be proactive.  Instead of waiting for challenges from the environmental community Phenix will implement environmental systems that will work with the environmentalists, systems such as Ultra modern security systems to secure the pipelines from leakage and vandalism.   In addition we will use our fiber system to provide real time eco-monitoring along the pipeline.

Currently Phenix has retained the services of Golder Associates, one of the largest privately held engineering and environmental science consulting companies in the world.  With offices in Asia Pacific , Australia , Europe , North America and South America . to assist in meeting all the environmental requirements for this project.

A state of the art sophisticated redundant safety system for monitoring pipeline pressure, product temperature and equipment status, along with real time video monitoring, connected by fiber optics will be installed along the line and at all Valve Stations for systems automation, leak detection, maintenance and operational purposes.  During operations, the working pressure of the pipeline will be +/- 42 kg/cm² (600psi).  Solid state microprocessor monitors will detect pressure variances of 10% to 15%, automatically closing the safety valves and shutting down the Pumping Stations via the fiber optic link.   In general, 2m (6’) deep trenches will be excavated for the pipeline and then back filled with the excavated material. Topsoil stripped from the work area excavation will be used for the final 15cm of backfill to promote the re-establishment of the natural vegetation.  The same excavation process will be used for isolated rural roads and paths, where there will be little impact to traffic, and dry or small streams where it is economical to do so. In the case of main roads, rivers and large streams, a horizontal boring machine will be used to bore under these features and insert casing for the pipes.

For systems support, an integrated fiber optic cable located along the entire length of the pipeline will transmit real time sensor and safety system data (flow, pressure and temperature).  Operational data will be analyzed and processed in the Operations Control Center (OCC).  Automated systems instructions can be transmitted to the safety and pumping stations from the OCC.  The Operational Control Center (OCC) will operate 24 hours a day.

Phenix will be partnering with CENS, a US National Science Foundation Science & Technology Center, who is developing Embedded Networked Sensing (ENS) Systems and applying this revolutionary technology to critical scientific and social applications.  Like the Internet, these large-scale, distributed systems, composed of smart sensors and actuators embedded in the physical world, will eventually infuse the entire world, but at a physical level instead of virtual.  The CENS focus for ENS Technology Research draws on a diverse set of researchers within engineering, from distributed system design, to distributed robotics, to wireless communications, signal processing and low-power multi-modal sensor-technology design.  In addition, the physically-embedded nature of this technology calls for significant experimentation and exploration within the context of the target application domains in order to identify the true challenges and opportunities.  CENS technology research is currently focused in the following eight areas:

Network Autonomy;

Programming and Storage;

Tools, Platforms, & Test beds;

Actuation;

Collaborative Signal Processing;

Micro/Nano Sensor Technology;

Ethic, Legal & Social Implications; and

NIMS Network Info-mechanical Systems.

 

The CENS focus for ENS Application Research is currently on four experimental application drivers: ecology and habitat sensing, seismic sensing and structure response, monitoring and modeling contaminant flows, and detection and identification of marine microorganisms.  To support this scope, CENS combines the expertise of faculty from diverse engineering disciplines with the expertise of biological, environmental and earth scientists.  During the lifetime of the Center, the plan is to pursue additional opportunities for applying the technology to other natural and engineered systems.  A multifaceted education, outreach and training program ensures that CENS and our research products, software, and technology/application research optimally benefit the target communities.

Three of the four CENS Applications Research areas focus on Ecological and Habitat Sensing to monitor the dynamics of biological complexity: environmental, organismal, and cultural conditions, and the interactions between them in natural and managed landscapes.  The overall goal continues to be in improving the design and deployment of embedded network systems for practical ecological, terrestrial, marine, and agricultural uses that can operate remotely, and in uncontrolled natural and settings, capturing chemical, physiological and environmental data across a wide range of ecological conditions, temporal and spatial scales.  Significant work has begun in the effort to provide an infrastructure to field test Embedded Networked Sensing (ENS) and techniques within a range of habitats and ecosystems (including in the tropics), and to deploy experimental model systems suitable for addressing specialized and general ecological information needs.  CENS is near the completion of new software that will enable us to increase the array to more than 100 nodes and thousands of sensors.   A robust, 10 channel video network to observe avian behavioral activities related to climate, nesting and reproduction.  Soil mini-risottos and below ground sensors and cameras are being designed for measuring soil moisture, nitrate, CO2, temperature, and root/fungi activities in response to weather.  And finally, the first permanent networked info-mechanical system (NIMS) node was installed within the forest canopy and spanning a riparian ecosystem.

Research Highlights:

Microclimate Sensor and Video Enabled Networks:

 1)      The Continuous Measurement System project is intended to investigate the requirements for a long-term data collection by deploying a system with simple, well-tested communication software and a limited number of nodes.

2)      The ESS is designed to be the test bed for sensors, interface hardware, RF communication hardware, communication protocols, databases and user interfaces to be used in CENS Habitat sensing.

3)      The system will support characterization of microclimatic influences on nesting activity and nest success

4)      The data gathered will be used to test systems for automatically classifying nest box images in real time at remote nest sites.

Embedded Network Sensing within Soils:

1)      A networked robotic  mini-rhizotron array is being developed for obtaining real-time, simultaneous field data on root/mycorrhizal dynamics in conjunction with soil respiration (CO2), nutrient flux (N, P, etc.), and moisture. Current minirhizotron cameras are cumbersome to operate and are very time-consuming during data collection, management, and interpretation.

2)      However, they provide valuable in situ observations impossible through other means

3)      The soil array will be used to investigate the effect that diurnal temperature changes have on water movement through soil and how that water movement is affected by the presence of rocks on the soil surface.

4)      A second ESS-based micro-climate and soils monitoring system to be deployed in a French Polynesian-based botanical garden will support study of the micro-climate and soil preferences of traditional and contemporary Tahitian crops of cultural, medicinal, and economic significance.

5)      Conducted a successful Soil Sensing Workshop to bring together experts in the field, the culmination being a proposal submitted to the NSF as well as a paper written for the journal BIOSCIENCE.

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